Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Fernando Mendoza

Monday, August 3, 6:36 AM

After months of intense scouting, the Las Vegas Raiders selected quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the early returns have been exactly what the team both hoped for and expected, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, who reports that the 22-year-old has been "living in the building as a tireless, football-obsessed worker." Mendoza is still working primarily with the second-team offense behind presumed early-season starter Kirk Cousins, but Breer points out both his ability to bounce back from bad plays and his natural feel for picking up the unblocked defender as veteran-like traits that could soon see him folding in more with the ones. How soon Mendoza takes over as a full-time starter will likely come down to his own readiness and how prepared the team is to support him, but early signs indicate that he is more than capable of handling his own end, making him a worthwhile third quarterback target in deep bench superflex leagues.